Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon Exercitus Crystallis
by LeGrande Grover
Summary: From the depths of the past, a shadow of the Silver Millennium falls to the Earth. The angelic image of someone from Serenity's past arrives in Japan, but with a dark purpose - to locate the Black Petal Shard, an artifact fallen from the Silver Crystal.
1. Prologue

** Prologue**

It had been ages since humans last stepped on the face of the moon. Over the course of centuries, humanity had admired the Earth's companion, never knowing what history lay on its surface. The ruins of an ancient kingdom turned to dust over the ages, yet humanity could only gaze upon the nightly pearl and imagine how wondrous its ethereal surface could be. After many ages, technology finally aligned fantasy with reality and people were able to walk the immortal dunes of the Sea of Tranquility. Then, another lapse in humanity s affair with the Moon, until a coalition of nations once again mustered their dreams and sent a new generation of dreamers into the stars.

Humanity reached out and touched the Moon once more.

The desolate magnificence of the lunar landscape was as brilliant and frightening as Commander Fujikawa had imagined, the infamous photographs and grainy video he remembered hardly capturing its true beauty. A mixture of fear and wonder churned in his stomach and he easily forgot that surrounding him was a void of everything needed to sustain his life. Across the ashen surface to the piercing black horizon sat the sapphire Earth, a comforting reminder that home was not too far away. It made him feel at ease. He had spent the last year training for this mission and many years before that fighting for his chance to board the spacecraft and journey the nearly four hundred thousand kilometers to the Earth s celestial attendant. It was worth every sacrifice.

As he awkwardly bounded over ancient craters and mummified slopes of silky dust, the unusual reading his instruments drew him closer and closer to an unusual rock formation a short distance ahead. Fujikawa took one last look back to his rover, a subconscious instinct to reaffirm his link to his distant spacecraft, and then back towards the gaping maw of the rock formation. The sound of his own breathing resounded in his heavy spacesuit, making him hesitate and try his radio again.

Silence.

He had experienced problems with his systems ever since he approached the formation, but the possibility of discovering something fantastic denied his core instincts.

Despite the anxiety he suddenly felt, he pressed on and continued to check the unusual energy wave showing up on his arm-mounted display. It was unlike anything he had seen before, but not powerful enough to register from orbit. The waves on his display pulsed in a hypnotizing rhythm, but they also urged him to continue in defiance of standard procedure to establish contact with the lander module.

At a distance of only a few meters, the young commander could see a faint light emanating from what appeared to be a geological cavern leading down from the formation. The smooth entrance to this grotto was distinctly not natural, but nothing existed in his mind now but to continue on and discover what was beckoning him. Whether it was his own desire for fame or the soft voice he now began to hear through the barrier of his spacesuit, Fujikawa showed no reluctance to move into this alien environment, despite what unknown thing he might find.

Descending into the grotto, something magnificent presented itself in the reflective surface of his visor. It was so brilliant that he froze, staring in awe at the figure that stood before him. He even slipped up the protective visor from his helmet to make sure that he was not hallucinating, letting the magnificent figure reflect from his own two eyes.

A woman stood in the grotto. She stood defiant of all physical law and understanding, completely unprotected on the harsh surface of the Moon in nothing but flowing white gowns. A soothing glow surrounded her figure, making her angel-like against the countless crystal rock formations in the depths of the grotto. Her platinum hair billowed out into two beautiful ribbons, met by rounded spheres of hair at opposing sides of her head. Her two blue eyes were like reflections of the Earth, though the rocky cavern denied any glimpse of the distant blue jewel. On her forehead was a crescent moon, golden and lovely against her milky-white skin. It was as if the goddess of the Moon had materialized before him, beckoning to him with an outreached hand of delicately welcoming fingers to approach even closer.

The commander stepped forward, his eyes dulled into a state of obedience. He mumbled incoherently of gods and goddesses even as he was finding it harder and harder to speak or even concentrate on the spectacular vision before his eyes.

The woman smiled serenely, parting her lips in what seemed to be an effort in futility, yet as everything about her defied his scientific mind, so did her angelic voice. "You have found me." she said softly, her voice resonating in his ears.

By this time, Fujikawa was entranced, unable to discern her voice or see her beauty. He only stared forward, locked into a daze and completely under her command.

Turning from the entranced astronaut, the woman looked fondly upon the spectacular growth of crystals in the grotto. It was a geode of glittering shapes and colors that had long been the only thing she found comfort in throughout the endless ages she had waited. The crystals sung to her in unison, making her close her eyes in joy. Her own voice stretched out among them, a distinct difference from the way she had been speaking to the man who had stumbled across their tomb, "The Earth awaits. The time of the Exercitus Crystallis has arrived."

The woman's eyes opened once again and she looked upon a distinct gathering of several crystals. These crystals were far different from the others and glowed with a pulsing light. It was these few crystals that the woman looked upon with the most affection. "My dearest ones, soon you will be what you have always destined to be, but not bound by the cruel destiny meant for you. We shall find the Black Petal Shard together," she said to the choir of crystals around her, then pulled her arms tightly around herself as she closed her eyes to the desolation of the Moon, and to the ethereal beauty of the Earth that existed in her mind, "And with it, anything shall be possible."

In the days that followed, the spacecraft that had brought the humans to the Moon returned to the Earth carrying fantastic samples and so much data that it would take months to analyze it all. It also brought back something completely unexpected. Commander Fujikawa said nothing of the cargo he brought with him, nor did he fully understand why he it was so important to him to keep it a secret. He only knew it drove him, his singular thought being to carry it to Earth.

Seven days later, the spacecraft entered the Earth's atmosphere. With it came a remnant of history forgotten since the days of the Silver Millennium, when a great Moon Kingdom had existed but had since faded in the white dunes of the Sea of Serenity. Now this remnant would fall upon the people of the Earth, bringing with it a destiny of forgotten will and writing new pages into the tome of life of a young girl named Tsukino Usagi, and her other self known as the sailor-suited soldier; Sailor Moon.


	2. EC 1 - Mirage

**Crystal Mirage **

Usagi's heart was racing in her ears. As best as she could, she tried to weave in and out through the river of people that filled the streets of Shibuya, though the sheer number of them made it hard for her to keep her eyes out for the serene image she had seen only moments before. That image was burned into her mind, for as many things as she had seen in her seventeen years on Earth, it one was one of the most disturbing. It was something out of one of her dreams. Like an apparition from her past, it had only caught the corner of her eye, causing her to freeze right in the walkway and scan every inch of the crowd for a second glimpse.

The silvery hair. The elegant form. The gentle, soothing aura. Everything about it made her frantically search it out, if only to prove she had not dreamt it.

The intersections around Shibuya station were some of the busiest in the world, but shortly after noon was one of the busiest times, as many people filled the area for lunch or, like Usagi, to go shopping in the endless web of department stores. The roads were an alternating sea of cars and people, carelessly following the changing lights. Most people had no interest in what anyone else around them were doing, but were intoxicated with their most recent purchase, glowing mobile phone or chatty companion. As such, they were rather put off when the young girl with odango-styled hair bumped into them, yet as most Japanese did, they continued on their way with nothing more than mumblings across their lips.

Usagi had no idea if she was going the right way or not, but something compelled her to push through the opposing flow of people and try to find the apparition. It was not until a bag in her left hand tore open and a gift-wrapped box came tumbling out that she stopped. She cried out and struggled to recover it. Other people eyed the young girl in her frantic bid to pick up her swag, but other than that life went on in the city of Tokyo.

Feeling exhausted and weighed down by the humid heat of midday, Usagi dragged herself to a nearby bench and sat, frowning on the gaping hole in her bag and the torn wrapping on the box. "I completely ruined Mamo-chan s gift!" she thought and mentally berated herself for acting the way she did. A part of her wanted to continue looking for the apparition, but reality demanded that she forget such things and focus on why she had been shopping.

In her hand was her pink mobile phone that was poised and ready to call, the name Mamo-chan displayed brightly on the screen. The dangling charms brought her attention back to it, but she soon cleared the screen and tossed the phone back into her handbag.

Slumping into the bench, she sighed loudly and draped her head back, the back of her wrist pressed against her forehead as she tried to clear her mind. The sweat on her brow made it difficult to keep her wrist planted and she suddenly realized how hot it was; how her damp clothes clung to her skin and made her feel uncomfortable. The rest of the city seemed to fade away from her awareness, for only the rushing of her heart seemed real. The drone of cars and people dulled her ears, and she could barely hear the televisions in the electronics store behind her blaring an interview between a famous idol-turned-news anchor and a recently-returned astronaut named Fujikawa about his experiences exploring the landscape of the Moon.

All of it seemed distant to Usagi. Her heart was still beating loudly as she tried to remember exactly what she had seen. It was more of a blur in her memory now, but what she saw had not been as important as how she felt. Her heart had stirred.

It was a strange feeling and she had felt it many times before, but this time it felt so close, as if there had been an echo of her heart beating a reflection cast against some part of her soul that trickled down her back and made her knees feel weak. It was the same sensation she had been feeling for the past few days, only much stronger and localized within sight. Whatever she thought she had seen had no substance, for nothing so beautiful could have been on that street without drawing more attention. Her apparition had simply dissolved into the city, leaving her to wonder if it had really been there at all.

The heartrending feeling remained.

A melodic tune rose up above the drone of the city, pushing its way into her disposition and making her blink the sweat out of her eyes. It repeated itself and Usagi looked around, wondering what exactly it was. She soon realized it came from her bag and a squeak leapt from her mouth. Grabbing her phone, she looked not to the name that was flashing on her screen, but rather the dainty clock animation that dominated the top left part of her screen. She knew what the name would be without looking at it and she did not even bother to read the message. On her feet once more, she dashed off in her original direction, clawing wildly at her bag to keep it from spilling its precious contents, but she now appeared far more panicked than she had before. There was a very good reason for it. "No way!" she cried out, unwilling to believe her own innocent phone, "How can it be that time already?"

* * *

"Honestly, Usagi-chan, you d forget your head if it wasn t screwed into your neck," scolded Minako as she glared at the heaving Usagi. She and Rei had been sitting at the caf for more than fifteen minutes after Usagi was supposed to meet them, so their desserts and coffee were already sitting in front of them half-eaten.

Usagi tried desperately to catch her breath, explain why she was so late and drool over their treats all at the same time.

Rei sat quietly and sipped on her drink, preferring to remain distinguished as Minako tongue-lashed Usagi for almost five minutes. The blaring sun was testing, even to her, and she brushed a few errant strands of hair behind her ear, not really keeping up with their conversation but appearing preoccupied with something else. A looming figure had appeared in her flames, though dark and shrouded. There was no way to explain how it made her feel. The only word she felt came close was threatened. It made a feeling of dread overcome here even now as she sat among the liveliness of Tokyo and the chemistry of her friends, enough that she felt distant from it.

It had displaced her so much that she had not even noticed Minako calling out to her, "Rei-chan? Are you okay?"

Rei snapped out of her daze and blinked. A waitress stood next to Minako and they both looked at her, as if expecting her to answer a question not asked. "Eh, what?" she asked, feeling a bit flushed at the sudden attention.

"Would you like another drink, miss?" the waitress repeated, smiling politely at her bewildered expression.

Rei soon realized she had been sucking loudly at an empty glass, her drink only puddles at the bottom. Another embarrassed hue raced over her face and she declined, only wishing to dive out of the spotlight and regain her dignity.

As the waitress left, Minako sighed, amazed that Rei would be caught doing such a thing. She had noticed Rei was distracted the entire time they had been out, but it was surprising to see her act that way in public. "I really wish you d tell me what s bothering you, Rei-chan. You ve been acting more and more like..." she began, but the sudden sound of Usagi tearing into her berry parfait ripped her attention away. "Usagi-chan! Stop being so embarrassing!" she cried and watched Usagi look up to her with a mouth full of parfait and a great glob of cream drip from her lips to the glass below.

"But I m hungry and hot and this is really good!" Usagi replied, her cheeks puffed out from her mouthful.

Minako dropped her head to her arms, sighing even more as she tried to rationalize going out in public with Usagi time and time again. Truthfully, she admired the fact that Usagi s honesty had no obligations to her social image and she even rolled her forehead across her arm to look over at her. The young girl was still lavishing parfait between her dappled lips with a look of utter joy on her face, as if nothing in the universe was quite as satisfying as a good parfait. Inwardly, she wondered if Usagi s love of sweets would ever catch up to her, either in the dentist s chair or sitting low around her hips, but the sheer ecstasy on her face made Minako smile.

Honesty was the biggest reason she loved Usagi as much as she did.

By now, the sun finally moved far enough into the afternoon sky that it slipped behind an opposing building, casting a cool shadow over the cafe. A pleasant breeze moved over the third floor breezeway where they sat and each of them sighed in relief. Though the humidity clung to them all, the absence of sunlight made the early summer heat bearable and another round of icy drinks furthered the relief.

Still, Usagi still fanned herself with a plastic uchiwa fan that some vendor on the street had been handing out, its front and back brightly colored with discount items for sale. "I have to go all the way back to Marui and see if they ll rewrap it. What a pain!" she whined loudly, deliberately keeping her eyes off of the tattered wrapping on the gift.

Minako examined the box with a smirk, with Rei glancing over with idle interest. It really did look terrible, but they both knew that Usagi's own clumsiness had been the cause of it, so they had little sympathy. In fact, Minako felt a bit devilish and presented the gift out for her further review. "The box is torn too. I don t think wrapping it will help," she noted candidly.

Usagi's eyes darted to the corner of the box that was mangled, then promptly cried out. "No way! This'll be the worst anniversary ever!" she howled and collapsed onto the table.

Both Minako and Rei perked at the exclamation, looking to one another and then back to Usagi with devilish intent. "Anniversary? Of what, exactly?" Rei inquired.

"Yeah, I don t see a wedding ring on your finger so it must be something else. Spill it, Usagi-chan," Minako further inquired, much to the dismay of Usagi.

"Ah! Uhm, nothing! It s uh, our first kiss!" Usagi replied, waving her hands through the air as if to deflect their questioning to something else. Neither of them seemed distracted from the topic at hand.

"You're a terrible liar," Minako grinned, gingerly stirring her straw through the remnants of her drink, "and your face is beet red. It must be pretty important for you to go through all this trouble. There s only one thing I can think of that falls between your first kiss and getting married, but still warrants an anniversary. After all, a young couple like you living together in the same mansion? How suspicious."

Usagi clapped her hands on top of her head and sunk into her chair, angry that she let it slip out.

It was supposed to be a wonderful night. She had learned a new recipe from Makoto that she would cook, she would give him the phone charms that she had bought for their two phones, and then they would relive the wonderful night that warranted their anniversary. They very thought of it made Usagi turn even redder, but she suddenly felt indignant that her two friends would interrogate her as they were.

Usagi's hands slapped down onto the table a bit suddenly and she glared forward, not really at either of them but more towards them. Her face took a look of distinction, as she knew that she was the only one of them that actually had a boyfriend, thus had something to boast about. "Well, if you must know it s the one-month anniversary of the night Mamo-chan and me sealed our love for all eternity." she said, snubbing her nose slightly at their distinct lack of boyfriends.

Minako appeared ravenous for more details, but Rei went about her way in a more devious manner. "So the anniversary of the first time you two had sex," she said bluntly, appearing not at all interested in it despite the fact she was keenly listening to everything she would say.

Usagi's pulsed throbbed in her temple, as she could not believe they would corrupt something so beautiful. She could barely put into words how wonderful that night had been, yet somehow she felt so embarrassed talking about it with two people she trusted with her life. Truthfully, she did want to talk to them about it, since she cared so much for the both of them. Yet, she was reluctant.

Deep down, a part of her feared how Mamoru would react to her talking about it with her friends, that he would somehow resent her for it. That scared her.

"I wouldn t expect either of you to understand. Mina-chan hasn t ever had a real boyfriend and Rei-chan never will. You re both jealous of me and my Mamo-chan," she snapped.  
That seemed to strike a chord with Minako, and even visibly affected Rei. At first they had merely been teasing Usagi, but now they both felt as flustered as she did. Tensions rose as the three friends argued a bit more, with none of them willing to let cooler heads prevail. It was simply a matter of emotions, but none of them knew exactly why they were suddenly so angry at one another. They only knew they had to get the last word to be the one to say the right thing last. It only perpetuated the argument further.

The afternoon meeting came to an end when Usagi stomped back towards the train station, her face still burned by the argument she had with them. Deep down, she wondered why she had been acting so strangely, to fight so brutally with her friends. There was nothing to their argument, but she had become so emotional that she had to bite back the truly terrible things she had wanted to say. She was not usually so temperamental, and she had felt like she was watching the argument from behind a glass pane; watching herself yelling at Minako and Rei. It had been a strange encounter.

On the train back to Minato ward, she took a deep breath and calmed herself. She had already made a mental note to apologize to them and ever went as far as to start on her phone, but a message from Minako interrupted her. As she and Rei had gone back to the Hikawa Shrine, they had felt the same things and sent their apologies first. This made Usagi smile and quickly thumb a response back, her heart suddenly feeling lighter. The finest thing about having such friends was that she knew, despite what might be said and done, nothing would eve come between them. It was not something she even had to consider, for her heart knew it her very soul knew it.

By the time she was riding the elevator up to their floor, Usagi was tipsy once more with anticipation. While she still had to worry about his gift, the grocery bag over her shoulder was filled with everything she would need to create a wonderful meal for him. Not even Makoto s cooking would compare to what she would make, though she felt guilty making that comparison since it was Makoto that had spent hours helping her learn the recipe. Whether or not she could actually cook it without burning like she had at Makoto s apartment was the furthest thing from her mind, as the only thing showing over and over in her head as him holding her tightly in his arms and kissing her gently on her lips.

"Ow!" Usagi suddenly cried, holding the place on her forehead where she had walked right into the wall. It became the new object of her fury. She called the wall as many terrible things as she could think of, mostly because she did not want a great lump in her head right before her important night. The wall stood silent under her abuse.

After being satisfied she had cussed the wall out enough, and because a few neighbors had been peeking out at the commotion, she quickly headed to the mansion apartment and scurried inside, still nursing her sore head. It was a relief to get home after all that had happened earlier in the day, but soon Usagi took a long look into the apartment. A giddiness overcame her.

This was home. It was her and Mamoru s home. She felt she never really grasped how important that was, for she had been over so many times before, but only now did she feel it in her heart that she had truly come home home where her beloved would always be waiting for her.

Her phone sang out once more. It was Mamoru. Usagi s heart jumped as she read through the message, but suddenly sank as she finished it.

_Be home late, Usako. Have a little extra work to do. _

It was depressing that he had to work late sometimes, especially since she wanted to see him so badly. She thought perhaps she would try and convince him to come home anyway, but knew that would be futile. He was working hard so they could live happy lives. That thought raised her spirits.

With renewed determination, she set out for the kitchen and decided to create her masterpiece so that he would have a warm meal to come home to. She even slipped into her new apron, a pink one with white trim and a little bunny on the hem. That also energized her. With a sweet tune humming across her lips, she began to consult Makoto's notes and pour over the ingredients, imagining herself as the happy housewife of her loving husband that would come home with an exhausted look, smile at her perfectly prepared meal and comment just how much he loved her for it.

Giggling, she spent the next few hours getting ready for Mamoru to return, her mind no longer dwelling on the troubles of her day but of the wonderful conventions of the night. There was no consideration of the clock. Time was a titan easily defeated by love, and she thought no amount of work could keep him from coming to the wonderful plans she had for their important anniversary.

She just knew he would love it.

* * *

Mamoru returned home quite a bit later than he thought he would, long after the sun had dropped below the horizon and the wildly glowing pulse of the city defended against the darkness of the night. Work had been consuming, but he was pleased with what he had accomplished. His superiors were always tight-lipped about his contributions, but he could tell they were pleased.

That, in turn, pleased him as well.

Stepping into his darkened apartment, an unusual smell came across his nose and caused him to stutter a bit. "Usako?" he called, slipping his shoes off at the door and setting his things down nearby. There was an eerie silence about the place and he was sure that she was home, yet no lights had been turned on and the air felt slightly warmer than he expected. The creaking of the floors accompanied him into the kitchen area where a great mound of jagged edges and clawing points reached out at him, threatening to rend him to pieces should he not be careful. The same strange smell lingered in the air and caused him to wince, yet all became apparent as he turned on the lights.

Pots and pans, utensils and bowls littered their small preparation area, each saturated with some kind of black ooze that somehow moved, yet appeared harder than stone. The same ooze dotted the walls around the burners, where a single oriented pot sat with a cold substance in it. It appeared very much like the ooze. Mamoru's eye twitched at the sight and he continued on where he found a body sprawled out across the kitchen table, slumped over and silent.

Usagi had fallen asleep, exhausted by her efforts to prepare him a good meal. Just as Makoto had warned, the complexity of the meal had eluded her capabilities and the kitchen sat as a victim to her repeated tries to get it right. Yet Usagi was smiling, a puddle of drool seeping from her lips and out across the table. "Mamo-chan..." she giggled in her sleep, receiving a quirked eyebrow by the subject of her current dreamy state.

Mamoru sighed, knowing that he would have to clean the mess up before he went to bed, but warmed by her attempts to make them dinner. She had been trying very hard since they moved in together, and to her credit she had learned to cook some basic foods that no longer turned his stomach. He could already see the notes with Makoto s handwriting on them, so he knew she was probably out of her league'

He still appreciated the effort.

Next to the notes was a letter with his name on it, sitting on top of a box with a tattered edge. Curiosity took him and he took the letter, sliding it from the envelope so that he could see what occasion prompted her daring excursion into the culinary world.

_"Mamo-chan, I know I'm not very good at writing, so I don t know if this letter can truly explain my feelings for you. I spent a long time looking through my dictionary, but none of those words seemed to describe how I feel. Connection. Bond. Fate. Our fate has always been our bond, but lately I've been thinking that fate isn't something that could explain why we're together or how much I need you to be in my life. It doesn't seem strong enough. We've seen this grand future where our fate determines everything, but I can't think about it. Being with you, in this place, makes me so happy that it's all I can see not the future, not our fate just this overwhelming warmth I feel every time I see you and know that you'll always be there for me. Do you feel the same way? Am I not a burden for you? I know I'm a little clumsy and sometimes I might make you mad, but I'll always try my hardest to make sure nothing ever tears us apart. We've been through so much, but we've survived. Now I get to spend every night in your arms and it's like a dream for me. "_

_You're everything to me, Mamo-chan. I will give myself to you for all eternity and never stop thinking about you. Please spend that eternity with me." _

_"Your Usagi."_

Mamoru looked over from the letter and smiled. He did not need a poet to scrawl sonatas in rhythm or rhyme, for her simple letter meant more to him than any literary work he had read in his lifetime. It was because it came from her heart that he could truly understand it.

"Usako, you are my eternity," he said softly, pushing back some of her blonde hair from her angelic face.

With little regard to the mess in the kitchen, Mamoru scooped Usagi up into his arms, amused that she had been so exhausted that she did not wake up, and he carried her off to their bed to rest. Her weightless body slipped effortlessly under the covers, where she shifted upon contact to her side and snuggled into the soft material. She was still smiling serenely, her lips moving in some echoless conversation that gave him pause.

Mamoru thought to the great responsibility she bore. Through two lifetimes, she had been the center of ominous tidings throughout the galaxy, yet had always remained strong despite that weight resting on her slender shoulders. When he thought of how much he admired that part of her, he did not see a sailor-suited soldier battling omnipotent beings, but rather he simply saw Usagi smiling a great, carefree smile. With everything taken away, she continued to stay true to herself and battle for the things she held dear against overwhelming forces, forces that churned at the center of the galaxy itself. Her sheer gravitas denied the forces that meant her harm and she persevered, taking the dreams she held dear and forcing the universe to bend around them, to accommodate her. She did all of this and remained the beautiful, loving person he had fallen in love with over the course of eternity.

With a thunderous beating in his chest, Mamoru also slipped into the bed, resting casually behind her as he propped his head across his arched hand. Under his loving gaze, he began to run his fingers across her arm, to her hip and back again. The sensation obviously tickled Usagi a bit as she giggled and stirred, yet she stayed blissfully asleep. Her lover smiled also, then continued to explore her exhausted body, running the tips of his fingers along her neck, her ears and to her lips.

The lovers evening slipped into the night, hardly as passionate as Usagi had planned. It was love s epitome in a darkness of touch. Mamoru lay perfectly content to watch over his sleeping beloved until she awoke or he joined her in sheltered dreams of endless wonder.

The only thing keeping him anchored in reality was the curiosity about the small, tender bump on the front of her head.


	3. EC 2 - Reflections

**EC 2 – Reflections**

Usagi was staring out over a vast expanse of nothingness, unclothed and unaware of how she got there. In all directions there was void; just the drone of an endless gray sky that fell to meet a flat, gray earth. A somewhat pleasant breeze tickled her skin, though only cool enough to alert her to its presence. The lone girl twisted around and gazed. In the distance, where the horizon was blurry and the earth and sky met, there was what appeared to be the silhouette of a mountain range, but it was so obscure that she was not sure whether or not it was real.

In the absence of everything, she had no reason to speak. It was enough for her to look everywhere with her crystal blue eyes. Despite a harsh sun shining overhead, it was not hot, but bright enough that her eyes did sting. The void itself was the maddening part. It was the only thing there, befriending her presence, yet she despised it for its silence.

It would not part with its secrets.

Suddenly, Usagi was keenly aware of the reflection of water all around her, as if she had been standing in a large pool the entire time. Before, she had dismissed it as the ancient mirage of sun teasing earth, yet now it felt wet at her toes. She could see no bottom, but she could not really tell if her feet were actually standing on ground, or the surface of the water. It felt sturdy, yet elusive. Her only friend now was her naked reflection, tethered to the bottom of her feet and staring back at her with the same wonder in its eyes. Yet again, she felt no inclination to speak, but rather stare.

That inclination ended when a voice rippled across the water and all around her. "Welcome," it said.

The voice was soft and maddeningly familiar. She knew it, but denied it. She had not felt her lips part, save for her own squeak at the suddenly appearance of the voice, yet she was keenly aware that it was her own voice that spoke. The enigmatic nature of dreams annoyed her.

"Who's there?" she finally managed to say under her own will, yet her voice did not carry the same power as the other.

There was no answer. Usagi's breathing pounded in her ears and she stumbled backwards in defense, trying to locate this invader to her solitude. The water was strangely silent under her feet and she suddenly felt nude, despite the fact no one was around. Bit by bit, her annoyance grew and she thrashed about, wanting the voice to speak again just as much as she did not want it to speak again. "Who's there?!" she cried, more forceful than before.

"I'm the only other one here," the voice replied, this time assuring Usagi of its pedigree.

"Why can't I see you? Show yourself!" Usagi cried in response and stopped stumbling, wrenching her head in every direction to try and identify the invader.

A soft laugh floated through the air and sent a chill down her spine. "I have been here all along. Why are you so startled? There is nothing here that will harm you. We are the only ones here," she voice replied.

The proximity of the voice made Usagi freeze and her breath held tightly in her throat. She had seen one other figure since entering this odd plain and the realization of that fact made the voice enigma also unravel. With a hand held against her breast, she slowly looked down to her reflection as it clung tightly to her feet. To no real surprise, it stared back at her. There was silence as the two lingered moving in perfect unison as the breeze played with them gently. Just as Usagi began to doubt her realization, the reflection smiled when she did not and the same melodic laugh floated into the air.

Usagi was suddenly seized with a terrible sensation, as if her chest was collapsing under some terrible weight she could not see. The breeze that had once playing across her bare skin was replaced with an icy sensation biting at every exposed centimeter of flesh and her movements felt slowed and weighted. Her eyes had become blurry, leaving her reflection a mere shape of its memory. Her feet lifted. A blast of strangled air belched from her mouth and Usagi, at once, realized she was trapped in icy water, unable to breath and slowly losing away to darkness.

As abruptly as it started, Usagi had fallen to her knees, her hands slightly submerged in the same membrane of water that she had been standing on before. Her flushed face stared back at her, beads of sweat dripping down to bother the surface of the water and pooling at the small of her back.

She heaved, not quite sure what had happened, but her reflection was calm once more and mirrored her every move, as if to convince her that her ordeal was over.

"Are you all right, Princess?" said the voice from before and it froze Usagi once more. This time, the voice was not ethereal as it was before, but rather right before here where a new figure now lingered.

She was a beautiful, young woman dressed in elegant gowns that flowed down into the water around her. Her hair was a brilliant platinum color and was styled in same manner as Usagi's. Her eyes were crystal blue and her skin was ivory white. In every way, this woman looked just like Usagi, just a bit older, yet there were also small differences that snared her attention. She even stood differently, yet elegantly.

Usagi also realized that this was the same figure she had seen in the crowd at Shibuya Station. "It's you…" she whispered, almost choking on her breath.

To that the figure laughed softly, reaching a hand out to her prostrated form. "Don't you mean, 'It's me…?'" she asked, much to her own amusement. Usagi stared at her outreached hand, keeping her own tucked tightly against her chest as she tried to grasp the situation, though the look on her face told her counterpart that she was extremely confused. "You made quite an effort to find me earlier, but sadly it was not destined to be until I could approach you here, where we may talk undisturbed for a while," the woman continued and did not stop offering her hand.

"What is this place?" Usagi gasped, getting more control over herself but not letting her guard down.

"A dream. Nothing more," replied the woman.

Usagi thought on that for a bit, remembering her last moments being awake with Mamoru in their apartment. She must have fallen asleep, but she did not expect her dreams to be invaded by the elusive woman standing in front of her. "Why are you in my dream? How did you get here?" she demanded.

"Your dream?" the woman asked, obviously amused by the idea, "Dear princess, this is not your dream, but mine."

Usagi winced. There was truth to her words, as she had a strange feeling ever since coming to that place. It was hard to put into words, but she felt as if she did not belong there; like she was the invader. Nothing about the place seemed malicious, including the beautiful woman before her. It was an alluring trust that began to grow in her and she took a deep breath, then reached out to the woman. "Why am I in your dream? Are you me, or something?" she asked, surprised that the woman simply helped her to her feet, then released her hand and stood elegantly before her.

"I am you, but I am not you. How else would this dream be mine and not yours?" she asked.

Usagi frowned and was quite annoyed. "That doesn't help, you know. Does this being your dream mean you can't give me a straight answer?" she asked in a terse voice.

"Yes," replied the woman, who seemed very amused by her flustered state.

Usagi groaned. "I can't even figure out how this is your dream and not mine, or even who you are. You look just like me, but not exactly like me. You talk just like me, but we don't use the same words. Can't you give me a hint or something?" she asked.

"Very well, Princess. I will tell you three things about myself. However, I can't be held responsible for what happens," the woman replied, her cooling voice betraying her warm smile.

"What do you mean?" Usagi asked with a perplexed expression. There was no answer, just the woman looking at her with a strange expression. The whole atmosphere of this dream was draining on her patience and she scratched her head, sighing loudly. "All right, then. I guess I'll have to take the chance. Let's hear your three things," she said.

"Wonderful! I actually have waited a long time to talk you like this, so I'm sorry if I seem a bit giddy," she woman said with a stifled giggle, which only brought a glare from Usagi, "Oh, sorry. Let's see, the first thing is that I am you, but I am not you."

"You've already told me that!" Usagi yelled.

The woman seemed startled and blinked, then waved off the embarrassment. "Oh! Did I? Well, I thought it was so shocking that I would tell you again. I'm sure you're wondering why I am you, but not you, but that story has to wait for another time," she said, waving it away as if it was a simple thing.

Usagi was steamed and glared at the woman, wondering why she was being so difficult. "You're not explaining anything! You're just telling me the same thing and not going into any details!" she roared.

"You must calm yourself, little bunny. Anger is hardly becoming of a young lady, and a princess no less!" she replied in a much more mature tone, something that caught Usagi's attention at once. The woman's voice also changed a bit, with its tones trailing along the memory of Usagi's soul. She knew that voice for a different reason, but could not discern why she knew it. It deflated her anger, and the woman smiled at that. "Very good, little bunny. The second thing I will tell you is that I am your mother, and you are my mother," she continued.

Usagi was perturbed. She had enough of surprise children falling into her life, yet she felt the woman's meaning was entirely different. Her face appeared older and wiser, with her eyes looking far more dignified than they had before. It struck Usagi in the chest slightly. "What…does that mean?" she asked.

"It is a story from an endless age ago, and it is for another time," she continued, her face falling a bit darker now as she looked at the naked girl. "The third thing I must tell you is this," the woman began, when Usagi was suddenly seized by a horrible sensation. A crushing pressure began to press on her neck and her breathing halted. It caused her eyes to bulge and her hands to dart to her neck, though she felt nothing there but her own skin. Instinctively, she looked to the woman, but she was staring at Usagi darkly, her smile so very strange and her beautiful lips, and her arms were at her sides. It was as if she knew what was choking her, but would not interfere, and Usagi's vision was becoming blurry and her breathing bursting from her lips in gasps.

It was by chance that Usagi looked down and saw their reflections below them, something she had neglected since seeing the woman before her. In place of the beautiful woman was a dark shadow with flaming red hair reaching out to her own reflection, with terrible clawed hands grasping at her throat. This form had no face, yet a horrible grin was somehow present where the dark void lingered. Usagi did all she could to free herself from the grasp of this shadow, but it did no good. She fell to her knees, her lips turning blue, with her eyes finding their way up to the woman's dark glare.

"My existence is for your life, and my existence is for your death," the woman said darkly, but then seemed to fail slightly.

At that moment, Usagi was freed from her grasp and lunged forward, her lungs desperate for air. The only thing more shocking than the release was the sensation of the mysterious woman holding her in her arms, trying to comfort her as she heaved for air and struggled in her arms.

She was quiet at first, working her way through Usagi's throes while holding a kind hand to the back of her head. It was as if she had not been the one that was just choking her, for her eyes were kind once more and her calming voice whispered sweetly into Usagi's ear, "I'm sorry you had to experience that so soon, but you must understand everything about me. In me, there are great pieces at war. One part of me loves you so much that I cannot stand to be apart from you, but another part of me hates you so deeply that I cannot go a moment without planning for your doom. I am tortured by you, Princess, but I cannot leave you be. I must save you, but I also must destroy you."

Usagi's throat was burning from the attack, yet she was so shocked by the chaos of this woman that she did not know how to respond. There was a strange comfort in her being held by her; a warmth that she could not describe covered her and she felt safe in her arms, despite the fact something about the woman seemed to crave her suffering. The entire experience, like most dreams, jilted her and left her uncertain to its meaning, for a part of her embraced the safety in her arms while another part her blared like an alarm in her head. It made her jerk slightly in the arms of the stranger, but never pull away. Her eyes opened and closed in symphony with her heart.

The woman hugged Usagi softly and ran her fingers through her hair. The conflict within her reflected in her eyes, yet she seemed fulfilled to simply hold the girl. The truth of eons had separated them and she felt horribly rushed, now that she finally had the chance to be with her. It was a terrible fate, reflected in a solitary tear that streaked down her cheek and disappeared into the endless pool beneath them.

After what seemed like an eternity, the woman's eyes fell on a shadowy figure that slowly materialized on their plain. It was a black figure, not moving or speaking. The bare figure in her arms did not even notice its arrival and continued to dwell against her bosom, silent and shaking. The woman stared at the shadowy figure for a moment, an odd smile touching her lips, then hugged Usagi even more and sighed lightly.

"It will be over soon, Princess. Rest for a moment," she cooed as yet another shadowy figure appeared near them.

Another appeared. The woman's smile grew with each appearance and, upon the last of four figures coming into view, she let out a deep-seated sigh and seemed relieved of some great burden. Although time would pass all around them, she was content now to linger in that place and embrace Usagi, the subject of her love and hate, while the four formed figures looked on silently.

"For now, just be with me."


End file.
